


On Leave

by CaptArthur (anauthorsworld00)



Category: The Brave (TV 2017)
Genre: Fun, Halloween, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13519176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anauthorsworld00/pseuds/CaptArthur
Summary: Cute little one-shot of Dalton on leave, what he might get up to when he is in charge of taking care of his young neighbour.Just something that made its way through my mind while I was supposed to be doing work.





	On Leave

Adam’s shoulders dropped as his next-door neighbour appeared in front of him, an apologetic look on her face and her hands on her son's shoulders. 

He pushed his door open and walked into his apartment allowing her the opportunity to follow him alike any other time they had interacted. 

“I’m sorry, they called me in.”  
“It’s fine, he’s going out trick or treating, right?”  
“It’s a two-part costume.”

Adam looked down at her boy and shook his head playfully, “why a two-part costume, Jacque?”

“Dad said he would dress up with me.”  
“Awh, Jacque, buddy.”

Jacque looked up at Adam with wide eyes, he knew he’d got him hook line and sinker now. Adam knew what it was like to have absentee parents, except Jacque’s, weren’t absentee because of neglect, they were absentee because it just so happened to be one of the perks of them being a paramedic and a firefighter. 

“I’m so sorry, Adam.” Jacque’s mom smiled sadly, she missed the days she got to spend with Jacque, Adam shook his head. 

“Go to work, Tess. I’ve got Jacque and that awful two-part costume.”  
“Thank you, Adam, so much. Remember, send me photos!!”

She disappeared out of the door, leaving behind her son and the duffel he assumed contained the dreaded two-part costume. Jacque smiled up at him shyly, it was nearing 6 pm and Adam knew they would have to get dressed soon and he wasn’t looking forward to it one bit despite how much he usually liked spending time with his neighbour’s boy. 

“So, is this happening now?”  
“Yeah?”  
“You don’t sound certain, kid. Shall we crack this thing out then?”  
“Okay.”

Adam laughed trying to lighten the mood, his little friend had gotten to know him over years of him coming and going from the army and Adam had essentially been there as the kid grew up. He liked to think they were friends but seeing this kid so down when both of his parents were out there trying to save lives and all he wanted to do was spend some quality time with them, was seriously taking it out on his mood. 

Adam nudged him lightly with a grin on his face, “come on buddy, I deploy back in two weeks don’t make me go back thinking you don’t like me.”

“I like you, Adam, I just wish I was spending Halloween with my parents.”  
“I guessed, buddy. But let's not let that wear you down, huh? This bag is big enough to fit me in it, should we crack it out?”  
“Yeah! I think you’re going to like this, Adam.”  
“I damn well hope so, kid.”

Adam unzipped the bag, and a smile graced his lips, “are these what I think they are?”

“It’s my dad's favourite film, I like it too.”  
“Me too, kid. I haven’t seen a lot, but it definitely sticks out.”

Adam pulled out the adult sized headpiece and looked over his shoulder, “damn, kid, the things I’ll do for you. Let me guess, your dad's favourite character?”

“Yeah.” Jacque bit his lip, he was worried Adam wouldn’t be as interested as he was before until Adam slotted it onto his head and faked a roar, Jacque giggled as Adam wrapped his arms around him gathering him up to his chest. 

“Let’s get out there then, shall we?”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay.”

When Adam reappeared dressed sans the headpiece he saw Jacque struggling with the belt and Adam reached down to help him out with the accessories. 

“Can you paint my face, Adam?”  
“Sure can, kid.”

With the face paint and the headpiece on they made their way to the door, “you got your bucket, kid?”

Jacque held up the green bucket that matched his costume and grinned through the face paint at his friend. The headpiece was making his voice sound wonky but he looked awesome. They both looked awesome, he only wished he could have been stood here beside his dad rather than his friend, but this was cool too. 

They made one wicked pair, a tall man dressed head to toe in a dinosaur costume - Rex - and his smaller sidekick an army green toy soldier. They were characters from Toy Story, Jacque had wondered how it would go. 

“Well, lets be off. Do you do your rounds in this apartment or block, or straight onto the street?”  
“Onto the street and then come back and do some of the apartments on our way back up, that's how we usually do it.”  
“Let's go then.”

 

The two of them had a good night, apparently, you couldn’t really see out of the headpiece all that well and Adam spent a majority of the time on his face in the street. He had thought he would have had good balance but the big fat feet didn’t help in any way shape or form. He didn’t really mind though, it got Jacque’s mind off of everything that was going on with his parents being away which was a positive. Lots of people complimented them on their outfits and even some photos were taken. 

He stumbled climbing the stairs and smacked the plastic of the headpiece against one of the concrete stairs, “sorry buddy, this Dino’s gonna have to remain headless for the rest of our trip upstairs.”

He pulled the head off and Jacque looked at him with wide eyes, “Adam, there's blood on your head.”

Adam swiped at it and swore lightly under his breath, until he felt the issue, “don’t worry buddy, I’ve just split a stitch. I’ll suture it when we get back up.”

“Are you sure?”  
“Positive, buddy, now should we get that candy back to mine?”  
“Yeah!”

They stumbled down the corridor together giggling like school children, they were only silenced as a door opened and Jacque’s dad Rory appeared. 

“Hey Jacque, how was your night?”  
“It was great dad! Adam split a stitch.”

The paramedic in Rory immediately turned to Adam who held up his costumed hands in surrender. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks. I have sutures in my apartment.”

Rory shook his head, “yeah it doesn’t look too bad, just a flesh wound. Would you mind if I took some photos of you and Jacque before you go? The costumes look great.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Tess wanted photos anyway.”  
“Yeah, she messaged me.”  
“Of course. Come on, buddy, I’ll put the head back on.”

 

A week earlier than anticipated Adam was back on a plane heading back to their base in Turkey, Command had a priority mission and they were expected back two days before it was set to happen. Jacque had tears in his eyes when Adam had handed back the costume after getting the blood out of it and told him the news. 

Tess had passed a frame over while wishing him well, he couldn’t promise them he would be back but it was his apartment next door, paid rent for the rest of the year, so they would know if he wasn’t coming back. The frame held a photo of Jacque and Adam, it was a photo he hadn’t realised had been taken, probably as Rory had been configuring the camera as they walked towards him. 

Jacque’s eyes were shining with laughter, and his mouth was open as if he was saying something to Adam. Adam, on the other hand, had what was becoming of the black eye that had just begun to fade from where he had hit the floor the multiple times that evening. There was the beginning of a trickle of blood coming out of his eyebrow, he had a matching grin on his face alike Jacque and a dinosaur head slotted beneath his arm. If Adam didn’t know what was going on in that picture he was sure he’d be just as confused as anyone else who saw it. 

It was a lovely gesture and Adam slipped it into the top of his bag, he didn’t have any photos of his family at base, not like Preach who had an entire wall, he didn’t really have anything personal. But this might be the first and only thing he would keep close to his heart, the one person he truly cared about so wholeheartedly it hurt to not see him every day as he had these past two weeks. He only wished him the best with his family, and promised to send him an email or two, he wouldn’t betray that little boy. He was good people, so were his parents. The world needed more caring parents like Jacques, they may not be around so much but at least they cared enough to sort him out in cases such as Halloween. 

Amir was already at base when Adam walked in, they greeted one another with a quick nod as Adam dropped his bag at the foot of the couch and sunk down into it. 

“Good break, Top?”  
“It was alright, how was yours?”  
“Same old.”

McG and Preach came through next, bickering in the same way that made the base home, Preach settled down on the couch beside Adam without a second look in his direction. McG, on the other hand, looked perturbed by his appearance. 

“Did you get on the wrong side of a woman, Top?”  
“What are you on about, McG?”

“Who got on the wrong side of a woman?” Jaz asked as she walked in last, looking at the four boys and immediately seeing McG’s confused look. 

“I did not get hit,” Adam grumbled throwing his arms up and made to stand up only for McG to push him back down and look more intently at his face. 

“And, you bust your stitches. What were you doing this break, Top?”

Jaz moved around so she was looking more directly at the purplish bruise surrounding Adam’s left eye moving slightly over his nose and the crusty and makeshift suture over where McG had stitched him up two weeks ago. Adam looked annoyed and frankly, it made being home all the more comfortable for the team. 

McG pulled out his medkit and Adam swiped him away, “It’s sorted, get off.”

“Woah, Top, touchy.”

“What happened?” Preach asked a smirk of enjoyment flitted over his face, he liked to tease his old friend. 

“Why do you gotta know?”

“Because, you’re getting touchy, Top. Plus, it's funny.” Adam groaned as Amir joined in the teasing, now his entire team was teaming up against him. 

“I fell, alright. Is that what you want to hear? I fell and smashed my face against a concrete step. Happy?”

Silence fell upon the five of them before Jaz burst out into hearty laughter, McG, Preach and Amir all joining in. 

“You fell?” Jaz asked confused, “you fell?”

“Yes I fell, I was out with Jacque and I tripped.” He hesitated to tell them what he was wearing, it would only sprout more teasing but he didn’t like keeping secrets from them. Plus the photo was in his bag, they’d figure it out. 

“Jacque?” Preach asked, his brow furrowed, “that the kid that lives next door to you? His mom’s a firefighter and his dads a paramedic. That Jacque?”

Adam clicked his fingers, Preach hit the nail on the head. Preach settled down beside him, “so when was this?”

“A few nights ago.”

“Halloween, Top? You went out for Halloween with this kid?” Preach asked, a teasing tone entering his voice and Adam groaned, his friend had goddamn figured it out and he hated him for it. 

“Did you dress up?” Jaz asked leaning down towards him where she was perched on the edge of the couch. Adam reached down and ruffled through his bag for the frame which he shoved into Preach’s hands with a grimace. 

“Fine, have at it!” 

He leaned back on the couch and covered his eyes. 

“Wow, Top.” Jaz whistled looking at the photograph. 

“Why, Rex?” Amir asked looking up from the frame. 

“What do you mean?” Adam asked taking his hands off of his face. 

“Why, Rex, you could have been so many different characters? Woody perhaps?”

McG snorted into his hand, Adam ignored him in favour of answering Amir’s first question. 

“It was last minute. Jacque’s dad was supposed to go but he got called in, then his mom got called in, Jacque didn’t want to go without someone else so I took him out. The headpiece was hard to see out of and I kept tripping over the massive feet, my face hit the floor a bunch of times and then I tripped up the stairs just as we got home. His dad snapped that as we were walking towards him. They handed me that just as I was coming here, wanted to say bye to Jacque before I left, wasn’t going to be that person for the kid.”

“That’s nice of you, Top.”

“Thanks, now give me that picture back, the only photo I have, would rather you didn’t break it.”

“Well let me know if you ever want to do Halloween again, Top, my girls can dress you up as a princess next.” Preach patted Adam on the shoulder as he stood up from the couch. 

“Shut up.”

“I’d like to see that, send me that picture.” Jaz grinned as she turned to go to her room. 

Adam regretted ever bringing the frame. Maybe he should have just agreed with McG, he was forever going to be the guy who tripped up the stairs in a dinosaur costume and got a black eye. Days like this he was thankful to be back, but he also wasn’t quite sure why he missed them.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this was alright. I just wanted some more lightheartedness and I just love the show and all of its characters. Perhaps I will post more but at the moment it's all I've got. All mistakes are mine, and I don't own anything other than Jacque and his parents.


End file.
